What A Day May Bring …

Jarrod Jacobs 

                   Solomon wrote, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring” (Prov. 27:1). I remember a time in my life where I saw three people pass from this world in one month alone. Have you ever had a month like that? These deaths affected me, and each death caused me to “lay to heart” (Ecc. 7:2) what happened. In fact, each time one dies, it testifies that we have no lease on life.

                   God has never promised us a long life; nor has He promised us freedom from worry or problems. In reality, there are very few things we can count on in this life. We are not promised a safe drive home. We are not guaranteed that a home appliance will never fail. We are not promised that we will never get sick. We are not sheltered or immune from tragedy striking our homes in one form or another. When we recognize this, we will begin to appreciate the truth spoken by Solomon in Proverbs 27:1!

                   In a world of uncertainty, God has given us some promises which are sure and steadfast. For instance, God has promised never to leave or forsake His children (Heb. 13:5). God has also promised a Judgment Day in which the righteous will be rewarded, while the wicked will be punished (Rom. 2:7-11; Matt. 25:46; etc.). Not only is God and His judgment unchanging, but we can also take comfort in the fact that His word is unchanging. Man’s word changes often, and the things men say today may not be the same thing he says tomorrow. Yet, God’s word does not change!

                   David knew this and stated, “Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens” (Ps. 119:89) While on earth, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matt. 24:35). God has given us “all things that pertain to life and godliness” and His word “thoroughly furnishes” men for “every good work” (I Pet. 1:4; II Tim. 3:16-17). Since this is true, does it not give us hope and comfort when we know that His word is unchanging?

                   In a world that changes often, we find that the only settled and sure thing is God and those things related to Him! We do not know all the things that could happen in a day. Men can lie to us. Disease can ravage a family. Sometimes, people make selfish decisions which end up having an effect on us. No, we do not know what will happen in a day. No one can predict this.

                   Yet, for all of this, God is constant and consistent. He loves us and wants the best for us. He sent Christ to die (Rom. 5:9). He has given us His word to follow (Jn. 12:48). It leads us to Heaven. Seeing that this is the case, may this week be the week that we stop trusting in ourselves and trust in the Lord (Prov. 3:5). In the course of a day or a week, our lives can change in profound ways. Let us therefore, trust in God and hold to His unchanging hand while the storms of life rage!

Why 99.9% Just Won’t Do

Jarrod Jacobs

                   Is it truly necessary that we go for “zero defects” in things that we build, or in other areas of life? Why isn’t 99.9% defect-free good enough? Please look at the list below. According to Jeff DeWar, Quality Consultant at QCI International, this is what life would be like if things were correct or “defect-free” only 99.9% of the time.

If We Settle for 99.9%, We Have to Accept:

• One hour of unsafe drinking water a month.
• Two unsafe plane landings per day at O’Hare International airport in Chicago.
• 16,000 pieces of mail lost by the U.S. Postal Service every hour.
• 20,000 incorrect drug prescriptions per year.
• 500 incorrect surgical operations each week.
• 50 newborns dropped at birth by doctors.
• 22,000 checks deducted from the wrong bank accounts each hour.
• 32,000 missed heartbeats per person per year.

(Source: Inc. Magazine, Article by Martha Mangelsdorf)

                   I first saw this list a few years back, but I think its overall theme is a valid one. Please reread those points. Hopefully, we can see that in addition to physical problems that are caused by only accepting “99.9%”, so also there is a spiritual application we can make. When we are not intent on giving God 100% in His service, we are asking for problems!

                   I want to be clear that I am not saying that there is a way for man to “earn” his way into Heaven. That is not the point or purpose of this article. No man can “earn” such a gift (Rom. 6:23b). At the same time, we need to recognize that God expects folks to give their all (100%) in service to Him (Lk. 17:10) daily! The Bible reveals that since Christ died for us, we need to live for Him (II Cor. 5:14-15; Rom. 12:1-2)! Christ gave His all; why do we think we can be accepted with any less than our all? The apostle Paul understood this and declared that he was, “crucified with Christ,” and that he lived his life, “by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). Friend, are you living for Christ and living by faith? If not, why not?

                   When one becomes a Christian (Mk. 16:16), this one becomes a bond-servant to Christ (Rom. 8:16-18). As such, this means that we love and serve Him totally — 100%! Sadly, Satan wants folks to lower their standards and be negligent in the work of the Lord, even if it is just a “little bit.” When we are tempted to do this, I hope we will look back to this little “checklist” and see the dangers posed when we settle for even 99.9% rather than 100%. If such danger is posed in our society when we settle for less than 100%, how much more spiritual danger do we expose ourselves and others to when we settle for less than 100% in our commitment and faithfulness to God (I Cor. 15:58)?

                   “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” These two verses remind us of the supremacy of Christ. He is head over all things (Matt. 28:18; Col. 1:18). God gave Christ this position, and we need to respect it (Eph. 1:20-21). At the same time, we see how the body (church) is the “fullness of him that filleth all in all.” This speaks of a special relationship wherein Christ is in us, but we also are in Him (Jn. 6:56, 15:4-7, 17:21; I Jn. 3:24; etc.)! This relationship is possible for those who are baptized into Christ (Gal. 3:27). No one can say that the church has little or no importance! Some want to tell us to emphasize Christ and not the church. How can we do this in light of passages like Ephesians 1:22-23? Christ stands supreme as the head over His church, and at the same time, the church is His body! We can be a part of it and enjoy the fellowship in Christ today when we submit to His plan of salvation (Acts 2:38, 47)!

– Jarrod Jacobs

We Are Free Moral Agents

Jarrod Jacobs

                   What does this title mean? Put simply, it means that we, as humans, have the ability to choose how we will live our lives. Though all things are created by God, God gave man the ability to do something that plants and animals cannot do. Men have the ability to obey or disobey God and then face the consequences. Man is the only one in God’s creation that can tell God “no.”

                   In the beginning of the Bible, we read about Adam and Eve’s creation, and God’s command to them to not eat of the tree bearing the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. We also read about the consequences if they disobeyed (Gen. 2:16-17, 3:3). They abstained for a period of time, but there came a day when Satan tempted Eve to partake of this tree. She ate and then gave it to her husband and he ate of it too (Gen. 3:6). After this, the man and woman were cursed and driven from the garden (Gen. 3:16-24). Notice please that at one point in time, they both could have chosen not to eat of the fruit. It could have been that Eve ate and Adam did not, or vice versa. Each person had the ability to choose and then had to face the consequences of their independent decision.

                   Free will was not lost to this world just because Adam and Eve sinned. In fact, we see men all through Scriptures faced with the opportunity to choose good or evil. For example:

• “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live” (Deut. 30:19).
• “I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me” (Ps. 119:30).
• “… Mary has chosen that good portion, which will not be taken away from her” (Lk. 10:42).

                   As the apostle Paul recounted his meeting Christ on the road to Damascus and the words Christ told him; he told Agrippa, “Therefore, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). This statement lets us know that Paul had the option to choose obedience or disobedience to Christ even while on the road to Damascus. How grateful are we that he chose the right thing!

                   So it is with us. We stand before God as free moral agents. Will we choose to obey or disobey? Yes, the choice is ours, but so are the consequences that follow (Matt. 7:13-14)! The Bible was written to encourage, and exhort us to choose the right things. God will not force anyone to obey, but He does present the consequences of obedience and disobedience for anyone who will listen. God wants us to willingly follow Him. What will you choose?

Do You Know My Friend?

Jarrod Jacobs

• I have a friend who is interested in my spiritual welfare and has been even at times when I have not been.
• I have a friend who wants the best for me, even at times when I did not want what was the best for me.
• I have a friend who loves me and has loved me at times when I was his enemy.
• I have a friend who will forgive me of my sins when I repent and return to him. He does this consistently.
• I have a friend who does not fail, and who can comfort and help me when no one else cares for me.

                   Who is my friend? My friend is the Lord Jesus Christ. How do I know He is my friend? I know this because He said to the apostles (and by application to me), “You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (Jn. 15:14-15). He loves me and I love Him (I Jn. 4:19; Jn. 14:15).

                   That this love did not begin with me first loving God, but with God first loving me is a beautiful, and humbling truth (I Jn. 4:10, 19; Rom. 5:8; Jn. 3:16; Eph. 2:4-5; Titus 2:3-5). He did not demand that I first do something so as to be found “worthy” of love. Instead, because God loved me, He sent His Son into the world. This Son, because He loved me, died on the cross as a sacrifice for my sins (I Jn. 2:2; I Tim. 2:6; Matt. 20:28; Jn. 1:29)!

                   Therefore, for those who belong to Christ, having submitted to the Lord’s plan for salvation (Acts 2:38), and continuing in His word (Jn. 8:31; Rev. 2:10b), we have a friend that will never fail. We have an “Advocate” who is always on our side (I Jn. 2:1). We have a “High Priest” who “always lives to make intercession” for us (Heb. 3:1, 7:25-28). We have a “Mediator” between us and God (I Tim. 2:5). Yes, we have Someone who truly cares for us when the world turns its back on us!

                   Do you know my friend? Is He your friend? If not, why not? Make Him your friend by following the Lord’s plan of salvation (Mk. 16:16). Then, live for Him all of your life (I Cor. 15:58). You’ll be blessed by having such a friend!